Free things to do in Perth

14 places in Perth with free entry or no charge, based on guide listings and map data.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

SeeNorthbridge
Art Gallery of Western Australia
Rotating exhibitions of contemporary Australian, International and Indigenous art and design drawn from the state collection. Exhibitions can be a bit heavy on Indigenous art (though there are some fantastic Indigenous works represented) but you could easily fill a few hours here surveying 150 years of Australian Art.
Wed-Mon 10AM-5PM, closed TueFree (except special exhibits)
SeeCity
Barracks Arch
Equally loved and loathed by residents this arch is all that remains of the 1866 Tudor style accommodations for soldiers of the Enrolled Pensioner Guard. The two wings were demolished in 1966 to make way for the Mitchel Freeway but public protests held back the wrecking ball from dispatching this part of Perth's history.
Free
SeeFremantle
Cantonment Hill
A terrific view of Fremantle Harbour and beyond. The Signal Station at the top is now home to the Fremantle Volunteer Sea Rescue (the building is not open to the public). The Army Museum is at the foot of the hill as well and is easily visited at the same time.
free
DoFremantle
Fremantle Arts Centre
A museum for Contemporary Arts with a shop and a cafe. In summer free Sunday music sessions in the courtyard.
Free entry
SeeCity
Heirisson Island
Five to six wild kangaroos roam around this island in the Swan River. They are usually hiding in the bushes, but can come out so have your cameras ready. You can even get close and pet them! Take Red Cat bus to Queen's Gardens and walk to the Causeway bridge. Cross the bridge, then turn right for the kangaroos.
Free.
SeeCity
Kangaroos in the City
If you don't get the chance to see some real ones, do like everyone else and take a photo with these friendly Roos. The larger than life size bronze kangaroo sculptures were installed in 1997, and have become a magnet for international visitors, who are subsequently disappointed with the diminutive size of their real life counterparts.
Free
SeeCity
Kings Park & Botanic Gardens
Ranged along the ridge of Mount Moira, this large and lush park is the perfect place to escape the city and enjoy a panorama of the Swan River and surrounds. Multiple paths wind through gardens showcasing flora from different regions of WA including a boab tree brought down on the back of a truck from the Kimberly. The striking War Memorial and Flame of Remembrance are also here. It's a hot, uphill, 2-km walk from downtown, but its northern boundary at Kings Park Rd is within the Free Transit Zone. The handiest bus is the Green CAT, M-F only, to Stop 16. The Red CAT (7 days) also runs nearby, use Stop 19 on Ord Street.
Open now · open 24 hoursFree
SeeNorthbridge
Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts
PICA
Rotating exhibitions of local and international artists work that focuses toward the more experimental end of contemporary art.
11AM-6PM (closed Mondays)Free
EatNorthbridge
Picabar
Attached to the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, this venue has dibs on an extremely central and pleasant location in Perth's cultural centre. In summertime you can sit outside and watch the big screen.
Daily 11AM-midnightFree
DrinkNorthbridge
The Brass Monkey Hotel
The Brass
A large venue with great comedy club on site and a good selection of beers and wines.
Mon-Thu 11AM-10PM, Fri Sat 11AM-midnight, Sun 11AM-11PMFree
DoFremantle
The Moores Building
Part of Fremantle Arts Centre, a contemporary art gallery. The Moores has six individual exhibition spaces and a cafe.
Free entry
SeeThe Suburbs
The Old Mill
Built in 1835, the mill is the oldest surviving industrial building from Perth's colonial days. Left to ruin over the years, it has been restored along with the adjoining millhouse containing various colonial artifacts. It's a 15-min walk from the Mill Point Jetty, or take bus 34 from Wellington St Bus station.
Tue-Fri 10AM-4PM, Sat Sun 1-4PMFree
SeeNorthbridge
Western Australian Museum
The museum has an interesting collection of social and natural history from WA and beyond. The main building has an extensive display of marine creatures, minerals, butterflies and birds, as well as the shrivelled taxidermed bodies of mammals familiar to generations of Perth residents plus the revitalised Katta Djinoong Aboriginal history display. The Old Gaol building at the rear houses colonial artefacts, displays of life from the different periods and a couple of meteorites. Make sure to look into the creepy eye of the rare Megamouth shark whose preserved body floats in a subterranean tank next to the Old Gaol.
Daily 9AM-5PMFree
SeeThe Suburbs
Whiteman Park
A unique recreation and conservation reserve in the northern outskirts of Perth. Kids can pet the kangaroos and other wildlife and the grownups can enjoy the railway, railway museum, craft shops and loads more. Perth features an abundance of similar wildlife parks which are spread around the outskirts of the metropolitan area.
8:30AM-6PMFree

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Perth (CC BY-SA 4.0).